Unveiling strategies in recent automotive history. Using patent citations for ambidexterity evidence

Abstract

Through decarbonization of the world economy a normative imperative to the realization of a post-fossil age emerged. The global ecosystem is threatened by the current world economic model and fundamental transformations are asked for in all economic sectors. For two decades now, the automotive industry is undergoing a permanent ambidextrous phase, after having been locked in technological routines for nearly a century. The omni-present electrification of the powertrain together with the technological convergence with connected-car and autonomous-driving technology are the key challenges. To process the pressure, new strategies are designed and implemented. Nevertheless, current studies, based on patent analysis show that classic powertrain technology still represents the dominant design. At the same time, patent analysis shows that competition between firms in the field of electric powertrain technology is fierce. We use patent citation analysis to improve our understanding of the underlying industrial learning processes and of their impacts. To analyze the change in the automotive industry and unveil actors’ strategies, we examine the three most essential differentiating features of an automobile: classic powertrain, electric powertrain and autonomous driving. We aim to analyze these main differentiators along three key questions: the geographic dimension, the positioning in the value chain, and the individual company perspective, by developing a new structuring logic– the ambidexterity matrix – and its dynamic representation along the ambidexterity path.

Keywords

• Transformation
• Car industry
• Ambidexterity
• Patent analysis